This invention relates to pet beds and, more particularly, to a pet bed that is readily assembled and disassembled and is held in a stable assembled condition by tension in a flexible support platform opposing an elastic tendency of arms of leg members to move apart.
There is a wide variety of pet beds on the market and/or disclosed in issued patents. These pet beds can be grouped into two broad categories: the on-the-floor category and the off-the-floor category. The pillow or stuffed bag type of pet bed is representative of the first group. They can provide a comfortable rest area for a pet but are difficult to keep clean, transport or use in a kennel. The raised platform approach generally provides an off-the-floor bed that can be disassembled for cleaning or transporting and is easier to keep clean because ground/floor contact is limited to the feet of the pet bed. However, raised platform pet beds are generally difficult to assemble and disassemble. This is critical for keeping the bed clean.
Accordingly there is a need for a pet bed that provides a comfortable clean rest area for the pet indoors or out, and minimizes the effort required to maintain or transport the bed.
The present invention provides an improved design for pet beds. According to an aspect of the invention, the pet bed comprises at least three rails, at least three leg members, and a flexible support platform. Each rail has opposite ends, which include first interengaging portions. In an assembled condition of the pet bed, each rail forms a center portion of a different side of a polygon and has each of its ends adjacent to an end of another of the rails. Each leg member includes a pair of arms and a bight. Each arm has a first end and a second end including second interengaging portions. The bight interconnects the first ends of the arms and is configured to rest on a support surface with the arms extending upwardly therefrom to support the pet bed. The second interengaging portions of the arms are configured to engage the first interengaging portions of the rails. The support platform has a side portion corresponding to each of the rails. Each side portion is attached to its corresponding rail. The platform is dimensioned to space adjacent ends of adjacent rails apart a first distance. The arms of each of the leg members are sufficiently flexible to bend to move the second ends of the arms toward each other when squeezed together by a user. The arms have an unstressed position in which the second ends are spaced apart a distance greater than said first distance. The arms are also sufficiently elastic to return to their unstressed position when a force tending to move or hold the second ends together is removed. As used herein, the term xe2x80x9cupwardlyxe2x80x9d and the like refer to the use orientation of the pet bed shown in FIGS. 1 and 2.
The pet bed preferably comprises three rails and three leg members and has a generally triangular configuration. However, the bed may also have more than three rails and more than three leg members and a polygonal configuration other than a triangular configuration. Whether the configuration is triangular or not, it preferably has truncated angles.
The interengaging portions may take various forms. Preferably, for each end of each rail, the first and second interengaging portions include a fitting carried by one of the rail and the arm. The fitting has a tubular end with an axial opening therein. An end portion of the other of the rail and the arm is configured to be received into the axial opening. In an embodiment of the invention, the fitting is made from plastic and is carried by the rail.
The desired flexibility and elasticity of the arms may be provided in various ways. In the currently preferred embodiment, the arms are at least partially made from spring steel.
According to another aspect of the invention, the pet bed comprises at least three rails, at least three leg members, and a flexible support platform. The rails and leg members have first and second interengaging portions, respectively. Each leg member includes a pair of arms and a bight, with the bight interconnecting first ends of the arms. The platform is dimensioned as described above. The pet bed also includes means for urging the second ends of the arms of each leg member away from each other when the second ends are held said first distance apart by the platform in the assembled condition of the pet bed.
The pet bed of the invention has a number of significant advantages. It has a highly stable assembled configuration but can be assembled and disassembled quickly and easily. The preferred embodiment of the pet bed can be assembled and disassembled without the use of any tools. The bed is suitable for use in a wide variety of environments, including indoor environments and outdoor environments. Its easy assembly and disassembly facilitates disassembly into a compact configuration for travel. It also allows quick and easy cleaning of the bed, for example machine washing of the support platform. In addition to its ease of use and maintenance, the pet bed provides a comfortable resting place for a pet that is raised above the support surface, whether such surface be a floor, an outdoor ground surface, or some other type of surface.
These and other advantages and features of the invention will become apparent from the detailed description of the invention that follows.